- PROJECT: A short story-driven game with an emphasis on humor and introspection.
- ROLE: Story writer; developed storyline; wrote dialogue.
- SKILLS: Narrative design; environmental storytelling; narrative pacing; remote collaboration.
Endling is a short, quirky science fiction mystery game about freedom, choice, and loneliness. With an emphasis on both humor and introspection, the game was inspired by media like The Stanley Parable, The Truman Show, and Slaughterhouse-Five. You can download it here.
The game was developed over the course of a four-month period, as the final exam project for a course on game world design at the IT University of Copenhagen. As part of a team of six people, I worked as writer and narrative designer, developing the basic story outline, writing dialogue, and generating voice lines using text-to-speech software.
“Forever is a long time – but not if you’re happy!”
The game was well received by the course lecturers. More importantly – and much to the team’s surprise and delight – Endling quickly found a crowd beyond the stuffy corridors of academia. A week after being published on itch.io, the game was discovered by numerous indie blogs and YouTube channels, garnering dozens of reviews, positive comments, and Let’s Play videos.
On both a personal and professional level, the development and release of Endling has been incredibly gratifying for me. A small game by most standards, its development process – an entirely remote affair, due to the global pandemic – nonetheless taught me a great deal about game design processes, online collaboration, guerilla marketing, and the importance of project management. Furthermore, seeing people respond emotionally and empathically to the game’s underlying themes and questions has – more than anything else – given me the courage to find my own voice as a storyteller and pursue a career as a game writer and narrative designer.
You can find, download, and play the game right here.
